Corn-harvester.



E. C. REINDBRS.

CORN HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED APRA, 1913.

1,095,520, Patented May 5, 1914.

Attorneys.

.QQ w l E' Witnesses mi lnvento E. G. REINDERS. CORN HARVESTER.

APPLIOATION 111.111) APRA, 1913.

Patenteamay 5, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

w wim ZZM/iz/zd/U Inventor.

Attorneys.

:UNITED sTATEsPATEN'r OFFICE.

EDWARD c. MINDERS. or'AMPAHoE, NEBRASKA.'

,conn-HARVESTER.

Application mea Apri; '4, 1913. serial No. 758.90%.

To all Iwhom t 'may concern:

Be it known that I., EDWARD C. RIDERS,

a citizen of theUnited States, residingA atj Arapahoe, in the county of ljlurnas and State of Nebraska, have4 invented a' new. and useful Corn-Harvester, of which ing is a specification.

l his invention relates toy machines for.l

harvesting corn, and one of its objects is to cut t-he standing cornand direct the 'stalks' by suitable mechanism provided forl that purpose, to a threshing. mechanlsm Where the grains of corn will be separated from 'the proceeds, the invention resides in the com-v.

bination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it beingv understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention lherein disclosed, canbe made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the .preferred form of the invention has beenshown.

In said drawings Figure'l ist-a pla-n-v view of the machine. Fig;- 2'is a side elevatiouthereof. l

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates the axle-ofthe machine, the same `being supported at one side by the drive wheel 1'2 and being provided with any suitable means for adjustably s upporting the main frame 3 of the machine. For example, this main frame may be provided with slotted upstanding plates 4 formed with'racks 5, these racks being engaged by gears 6 secured to the axle 1'.v Thus bv rotating the axle the gears can be caused to shift the racks 5 longitudinally in either direction for the purpose of raising and lowering the frame 3. Any suitable means may be employed for rotating the axle, the preferred mechanism being made up of a speciacation of Letters Patent.

the follow-v` meenten Mav 5. 1914..

lworm 7 adapted to be rotated by, a. shaft 8, said worm meshing with. a worm gear V9 secured to the axle. `Another wheel 10 may be arranged at that side of the frame 3 remote fromv the wheel 2 and this additional wheel 10 canV likewise be adjustably connected to the frame 3 in any preferred manner. Se'- cured to the wheel 2 is a large drive sprocket 11 adapted to transmit motion through a chain 12 to a sprocket 13 loosely mounted on a transversely extending shaft 14journ aled 1 in the frame 3. rl.`his sprocket 13 has a clutch member 15 revoluble therewith and v another clutch member 16 is feathered on the 'shaft and is adapted to be actuated in any suitablemanner, as by means of a 'bell crank lever 17 and a rod 18. By actuating this bell crank lever the clutch-member 16 can be shifted intoor out ofy engagement with the clutch member 15 so as thus t0 couple the sprocket 13y to or uncouple it l,from thev shaft 14. Diverging forwardly from the front end portion of the frame 3 at one sidethereof are dividers 19 and extending upwardly and rearwardly'from the frame 3` at points back of the dividers are spacedistrips 20 having osts21 and'22 ex tending Yupwardly there rom. These posts support additional spaced strips '23 which' are inclined upwardly and rearwardly from 'v the frame 3 and extend to points backof but close to the points of the dividers. Agdditional posts 24 and 25 areV mounted on the strips 23' and support upwardly diverging boards 26 which are 'inclined upwardlyv and rearwardly from the points of the dividers and are spaced apart. The osts 2 1are in' the form of shafts extending rom the upper end portions of the boards 26 downwardly through theupper end portions of the strips 23 and' 20. Gears 27 constitute means'for transmitting motion from one of the shafts 21 'to the other, 'these vgears being arran ed in a train and the end gears of the trainA eing attached to the shafts. One of the shafts 21'is connected, by auniversal joint 28 to one end of an `inclined shaft 29 extending downwardly .and rearwardly and provided .that when the shaft 14 is rot-ated, motion will be transmitted' therefrom through gears 31 and 30 to shaft 29 and thence through the universal joint 28 to one of the shafts 21, motion being transmitted from said shaft 2l t0 thevother .shaft 2l through the train of g s yieldingly with the surface of the ground.

gears 27. I

Secured to the lowerend portions of the shafts 21 and close to the tops of the strips 20 are sprockets l32 engaged by endless chains 33 whichextend along the tops of the strips 2O and into engagement with sprockets 34 located adjacent the lower ends of said strips 20. Each of these endless chains 33` has outstanding stalk engagingfingers 35. Secured to the shafts v21 close tothe upper faces of the strips 23 are sprockets 36on.

which are mounted endless chains 37 these chains extending along the upper faces of the strips. 23 and downwardly to .sprockets 38 located close to the lower and front ends f of the strips 23. .Chains 37 have outstanding stalk engaging fingers 39 similar to the fingers 35.

IF rom the foregoing descriptionit will bel transversely of the rear end of the structure .i 40. A gear 43 is secured to shaft 42 and receives motion through a gear 44 from a transverse shaft 45 which drives another conveyer 46. This last named coveyer is arranged within a frame 47 and the saidv conveyer 46 is inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward the rear end portion ofv the `conveyer 41 so thatl the two conveyers coperate to form a throat to receive material and direct it rearwardly. A sprocket 48 is secured to shaft 45 and receives motion, through a chain 49, from a sprocket 50 ysecured to the shaft 14.

Upwardly and laterally curved deflecting fingers 51 are arranged at the upper or rearends of the strips 23 and boards 26. these fingers overhang the conveyer 41and"serving to deflect stalks laterally7 onto the conveyer.

A sprocket 52 is secured to shaft and motion istransmitted therefrom through a chain 53 to a sprocket 54 secured t-oa transverse shaft.` 55.l This shaft is journaled within brackets 56 secured upon the side portions of an inclined table 57 extending laterally beyond one side of the conveyer 41, the lower front edge of the table being substantially in alinement with the front ends of the strips 2O. Guides 58 are secured to the bottom of the table 57 and slidably mounted in these' guides are stems 59 projecting rearwardly from flat gathering lingers 60 which yproject forwardly beyond the front edge ofthe table 57. The front roeaaao ends vof these fingers are adapted to contact Guide fingers 62 are arrangedV along 'the front or lower edge of table 57 and are slidably engaged by a cutter bar 63 of that type commonly used in harvesting machines whereby material gathered between the fingers 60 will be cut. This cutter bar extends lthroughout the width of the machine and also extends across the ends of the strips 20 where the blades of the cutter barl coperate with the stationary knives 64 located in the space forming the stalk receiving passage.

vrlfhis knife is clearly illustrated in Fig. 1.

A pit-man 65 is connected to the cutter bar vand to a disk 66 which rotateswi'th a longitudinally extending shaft 67 journaled'upon the frame 3, the rear end off saidy shaft 67 being provided with a'bevelgear 68. meshing with a similar-gear 69 secured to the shaft 14. Thus it'will he seen that as the machine moves forwardand shaft 14 rotates, motion will be transmitted therefrom through gears 69 and 68to shaft 67 and the pitman 65 caused to reciprocate the cutter bar 63.

Springs 70 are mounted on the stems 59 of the fingers 60 and serve to hold the fingers normally projected forwardly and down wardly into contact with the ground. If,

however, one of said fingers should come into contact with an unyielding obstruction, the said finger is free to slide backwardly against the action of vits spring 70 and, as

soon as the obstruction has been passed, the

spring 70 will return the lfinger to its initial position.

Secured to the shaft 55 are sprockets 71 engaging endless chains 72 which extend forwardly to sprockets 73supported by a shaft 74. This'last named shaft is journaled in lbrackets 75 extending forwardly from the frame 3 so that the shaft 74 is thus held at a point in advance of the fingers 60. The chains 7 2 are connected by Scrapers 7 6 disposedin staggered relation and covering a path extending throughout the width of the series of gathering fingers 60 and of lthe table 57. The chains 72 areslack' so' that the lower flights thereof will hang downwardly and permit/the Scrapers 76 to drag along the surface of the ground, thence along the inclined fingers 60, and finally along the inclined table 57. Arranged below the upper rear edge of the table 57 and extending throughout the width of said table is an endless' conveyer 77 adapted to receive motion through a sprocket 78 and a chain 79 from a sprocket 80 secured to the shaft 67. A retaining board 81 extends upwardly close to and back of the conveyer-TT so that material discharged onto said conveyer by the Scrapers 76 will not fall rearwardly off of the conveyer. Saidconveyer is disposed slightly above the conveyer 41 and is adapted to discharge onto said con` idx) ' erally Ainclined endless conveyer .97., This .30

mounted above the concave, said cylinder 286 and a chain 87 from a larger sprocket. 88.

'veyerl4-1. Arranged under and back of the discharge end of the conveyer 41 is a concave 82 and a cylinder83 is concentrically' and concave being located within' a'housing 84. The cylinder is supported by a shaft 85. which .receives motion, through a sprocket which, in turn, rotates with a. small vsprocket 89 receiving motion, through a chain 90, from a sprocket 91 on shaft 14. Thus it will be' seen: that the speed of shaft 14 is greatly multiplied and thecylinder 83 can be caused to rotate at a high speed.

' A screen- 92 is supported within an outlet extension- 93 ofthe casing 84 andis mounted Jfor reciprocation, a spring 94 bein pro, vided for holding the screen norma ly .in one. position. Alever 95 may be pivotall-y connected to the screen and this lever can be actuated in any suitable manner, as by means of an eccentric .96- revoluble .wit shaft '85. Thus it will beseen that as the cylinder 83 rotates, the eccentric 96 willop crate lever95 and cause said lever to -reciprocate the screen 92. Any material dropping through the screen will be directed onto the lower end of an upwardly and lat-l endless conveyer may be adjustably sup.` ported in any suitable manner,.it being pret. erably hingedly .mounted at its lower end, as shown at. 98 .and supportedat its outer end by a cable 99' secured, to-a winding drum 100. The tailings from the screen are directed onto one end of anotherlaterally extendingv endless conveyer 101. This last named conveyer receives motion through a sprocket 102 and a chain103 from a sprocket 104 secured to a shaft 105.' This shaft, in turn, receives motion through a bevel tgear 106, from the bevelgear- 31 on sha t- 14. l sprocket 107A is secured to shaft105 and transmits motion through a chain 108 to the conveyer 97 A fan 109 is arranged uuder the concave and isl adapted -to direct currents of air upwardly through the screen 92 vso as to insure the proper separation of the lighter particles from the heavier ones. This fan may be driven in any preferred manner. as' by means ofa small gear 110 meshing witha larger gear 111 secured to shaft 14.

A bracket112 is secured to the front portion of the frame 3 and a tongue 113 is' hingedly connected to this bracket and cxtends forwardly'therefrom. A caster 114 is arranged under the tongueand has a stem 115 adapted to slide upwardly and down wardly within said tongue. This stem is pivotally engaged by an arm 11G adapted to be swung 'upwardly and downwardly'by a lever 117. Any suitable means may be pro-l vided for locking this lever against movement and it will he apparent that by adl When-it is `Durin'g'this forward movement the'various justing the lever angularly stem llucan be shifted upwardly or -downwardly and the entire .frame 3 and the parts l Isupported thereby thus ladjusted'angl'llarlyf relative to the tongue 113..

desired to harvest corn the front end of the machine is first adjusted by i manipulating lever 117 so as to bring1 the fro-nt l ends of the fingers 60 vslightly into contact with the ground. The machine is then drawn forward -in any suitable manner so that one row of vcorn will enter between the dividers 19 so that the stalkswill be engaged by the gathering fingers. 39 and 35.

parts 'of the machine willbe operatedin'the manner hereinbefore described provided the clutch members 15 and 16 are in engagement I with each other. Thus the cu'tter bar will be reciprocated and as the stalks are broughtto position at opposite sides of the xed blade 64, the knives ofthe cutter bar adj acent'said blade will coperate with the blade to sever .the stalks".l The stalks will be carried in-subf stantially upright position upwardly between the chains 33 and 37-until Athey are brought against. the deflecting fingers 51.

These fingers will .direct the-severed stalks I' laterally so that they will fall onto the conveyer 41. Thestalks will be carried rearunder the overhanging conveyer y46. The two conveyers will thus grip the stalks and direct them into-the concave 82 where they will be acted upon by the rapidly rotating cylinder 83. The material after-thus being' broken up will be directed onto the screen 92, and as this screen is constantly agitated by the oscillating lever 95, the :liner heavier particles such as thevgrains of corn will -dropv through the screen and onto the elevator' and conveyer 97 while the lighter andlarg'er particles will be directed off ofthe tail of the screen and onto conveyer 101. lDuring this movement of the machine along one row, the fingers '60 are .traveling along two previously cut rows and as these fingers scrape along the ground they will, obviously, gather up any loose ears which may be lying on the ground. These ears will be engaged by the Scrapers 76 and drawn upwardly along the fingers 60 and thence along table 57 and finally will be deposited onto the transverse conveyer 77. Said conveyer will direct the ears laterally onto conveyer 41 where they will be carried back to the concave with the other material directed onto conveyer 41l byv the fingers 51. If desired, and as shown in Fig. 2, endless chains 118 may be arranged along the loiver faces of the boards 26, these chains receiving motion through sprockets 119, from the shafts 21. VEach of these chains may be. provided with gathering iingers 120.

It is to be understood that the conveyer wardly by the conveyer .and into position' v 101 is designed toreceivethe tailings and is to be so arranged as to operate intermit-v tently, any desired mechanism'. being pro- 4 vided for this purpose, whereby the tailings will be discharged in spaced piles or windrows. The conveyer 97 is adapted to deliver material into a wagon or other suitable receptacle. j

What is claimed is l. The 'combination with a longitudinal conveyer, of stalk cutting `and gathering means' at one side thereof,.means for directing the cut stalks onto the conveyer, sepaveyer, and means for scraping ears-along Said collecting means and withr saidcut ma terial onto the transverse conveyor.

2. In acorn harvester a table, downwardly vand forwardly inclined separately movable gathering fingers extending forwardly therefrom and adapted to Contact at their ends with the lsurface ofthe ground, yielding means for holding said fingers in Contact with the gro-und, means adjacent the front edge of the table for cutting materialfentering between the ngers, and scraping means for directing loose ,ears along the fingers, and with the c ut material, along the table. i

3.l In a corn harvester a table, downwardly and forwardly inclined "separately movable gathering yfingers extending beyond the front end of the table, yielding means for holding the front endsof the fingers in.

contact with the ground, means for cutting materialentering between said fingers, said means beingl located. adjacentthe front edge of the table, endless chains havingslack lowerflights-supported clcse'to the lingers and table, Scrapers carried by said chains for directing'l loose ears along the fingers and,

' with the cut materinhalong the table.'

4. In a corn harvester a table, downwardly and forwardly inclined separately movable gathering fingers extending beyond the front end of the-table, yielding means for holding the front endsl 'of the fingersin v Contact with the ground` means adjacent the .front end of the table for cuttingr material entering between the lingers. endless chains having slack lower flights supported close to the fingers and table, Scrapers carried by said chains for directing loose ears along 'the fingers and, with the out material, along the table, and a transverse conveyerback of the table forreceiving ears't'rom'the scrapers and table. i Y

5. In la corn 'harvester a table, downwardly and forwardly inclined separately noaaeao the front end of the table, yielding means for holding the front ends ofthe fingers in contact with the ground,` means adjacent the front end of the table for'cutting material entering between the lingers, endless chains having slack lower` flights supported close to the lingers and table,scrapers `carried by movable gathering fingers extending beyond K said chains for directing' loose ears along the with the cut material, 'along the yground and projecting from the table, a

cutter bar extending along the front end of the table and transversely of the gathering means, means coperating with, the cutter bar for `severing stalks in the path thereof,

' and scraping means for directing loose ears along the lfingers and table.

.'7; The combination with'a conveyer, of

stalk gathering means -at one side thereof,-

means for directinghthe gathered stalks onto the'conveyer, a table at the other side of the conveyer, downwardly`- and forwardly, in-` clined spring pressed separately movable iingers yieldingly engaging the surface of the ground and projecting from the table, a cutter bar extending along the front end ofthe table and transversely of the athering means, means coperating with tie cutter bar for severing stalks in the path thereof, scraping means for directing loose ea rs along the fingers and table, and a transverse con'- veyer for receiving the loose ears from the table and directing them ont-o the rst named conveyor.v

8. 4In a .corn harvester, a table inclined upwardly and rearwardly, guide fingers projecting forwardly from the lower edge of the table, a cutter bar mounted for reciprocation on" the fingers, downwardly and forwardly inclined gathering fingers slidably mounted under the guide lingers and extending therebeyond` yielding means for holding the gathering lingers normally projected into' contact with the ground, said lingers be.-

ingslidable rearwardly against the action of the springs and independently of each other, and scraping means shiftable longi tudinnlly of the fingers and along the table, .said scraping means' being held bygravity in contact with the fingers and table.

9. In a corn harvestena table inclined up- "wirdly and rearwardly, guide fingers projecting forwardly from the lower edge of the table, a cut-ter bar mounted for reciprocation on the lingers` downwardly and forwardly inclined gathering lingers slidably mounted under the guide fingers and extending therebeyond, yielding means for holding the gathering ngers normally projected into eontact with the ground, said ingers being slidable rearwardly against the' 5 action of the springs and independently of eaoh other, and scraplng means shiftable longitudinally of `the fingers and along the table, said scraping means being held'byv gravity in Contact with thengers and table 10 and being movable onto the fingers from points in advance thereof, thereby to en gage'the ground yn advance of the fingers. In testimony that I claim the'foregoing as `my own, I- have hereto affixed my Asignature in the presencefof two Witnesses.

I EDW'ARD C. REINDERS.

- Witnesses:

ROY R. HART, J. E. Swanson. 

